Page 88 of The Other Brother

I flick a quick glance at him. We haven’t really discussed how he feels about his sexuality and the idea of coming out. I, of course, think it's epic that Cody is gay because I reap a lot of the benefits. I go for the blunt question. “Do they think your parents will have a problem with you being gay?”

Cody’s forehead furrows. “Dad, no. He’s pretty liberal about stuff, and he’s worked with lots of gay people, so none of us think he’ll care once he gets over the surprise.” He shifts in his seat. “I’m not so sure about Mum because of the religious thing. She’s never discussed her view with any of us, although Kate pointed out that she was always nice to her friend Daisy who was openly gay, so there’s hope.”

“Of course there’s hope.” I give him a brief smile before I get to the million-dollar question. “So, did Mel and Kate say anything about me?”

He hesitates. “Kate suggested Mum and Dad might find it easier to handle if I had a different boyfriend.”

I slump back in my seat. I knew it.

“She also asked me what we have in common,” he continues.

My breath hitches. “What did you say?”

He slides a look at me. “Our sense of humor.”

“You’re almost as funny as me,” I agree absentmindedly.

I can guess the subtext of Kate and Mel’s conversation with him.Hey Cody, it’s okay if you’re gay, but you shouldn’t just hook up with the first guy you find who also likes boys. You can do better than our other brother.

Hurt rises inside me. Even my own sisters don’t think I’m good enough for Cody.

We pull up in the driveway of Cody’s perfect house.

“You okay?” He’s watching me closely.

I swallow and plaster on an easygoing smile. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

He checks his watch. “Mum’s not going to be home from work for a few hours. You want to hang out here for a bit?”

“Sure.”

I follow him inside. We head to the kitchen.

“You want something to eat?”

“How do I always answer that question?”

He grins and grabs bread and butter to make a sandwich.

I watch him, our sisters’ comments swirling around in my head.

Cody puts the knife down. “Are you sure you’re okay? What did Mel and Kate say to you?”

“Nothing much. Just what you’d expect.” I think Cody can tell from my voice that I don’t want to talk about it.

He slides a sandwich over to me. It’s baloney and cheese, my favorite.

I chew on my sandwich as I stare out the window where the swimming pool glistens invitingly. Cody’s swimming pool is twice the size of ours. No wonder Mel and Kate always wanted to hang out here rather than at our house. It’s too cold to swim though. Autumn is definitely running the show.

I glance back to where Cody’s still watching me, a crease on his forehead.

“You want a jam session?” I ask.

His expression immediately brightens. “Definitely.”

I load my plate into the dishwasher and follow him to his room. He grabs his spare guitar out of his closet. We playShotgunandImaginetogether, and he teaches me the chords toHotel California. It’s tricky, but when I finally get it right, the look of pride in his eyes makes me squirm.

The next time through, he sings along, and I’m glad I have to look down at my fingers so he can’t see my expression. I could listen to Cody sing forever and never get bored.